Never Let Me Go
by Seirrastar
Summary: Soul and Maka thought they would be together forever. Everything changes when a girl named Serena comes to town and all three of them become a part of a tragic love triangle. The presence of an ancient secret society is also becoming more relevant to Shibusen, mostly because it is their next target.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Just Another Day**

Soul and Maka walked hand-in-hand under the moonlight. Some would saythe scene was romantic, but what was really romantic was the fact that they were together. They had beaten the Kishin, but what was even more amazinging was that Soul had the courage to confess his true feelings to Maka. Now they were officially dating and just wanted to enjoy this newfound togetherness. They had thought that it would stay like this forever, that they would never let go of each others hands. Soul believed this with his whole heart. That is, until he met another girl that would change everything.

* * *

Serena let out a huge sigh as she collapsed in front of the grand doors of the Death Weapon Meister Academy or just DWMA, as she read in the pamphlet she was given before her flight from New York to Nevada. However, there were no planes straight into Death City. Serena had to fly to Vegas then take a two hour bus ride to this town in the middle of the barren desert.

_How the hell did this happen_? She thought as her eyes burned from staring into the blazing Sun as she lay on her back. She closed her eyes and breathed in the dusty air, felt the sweat drip down her forehead. She listened to the noise of the bustling city as she remembered a few days ago.

It started out as just any other ordinary day at her prestigious private school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. She wasn't lavishly rich though, since she was there on a partial academic scholarship, same as her older brother and sister. Though only her sister Holly graduated, her brother Daniel dropped out to go on tour with his punk-rock band.

Serena gained popularity there despite her "poor" status through her looks and skills as a cheerleader. One of the girls on the team Jenny became her best friend and helped reach the top of the social hierarchy.

Of course the day of the "Incident" was going like any other; Serena and Jenny were talking with some of their friends at the fountain in the middle of the courtyard at lunch when it happened. She didn't know what was happening. It started with terrified screams from the other side of the courtyard and then a lot of panicked students running past her. Serena quickly stood up to identify the cause of all the trouble, thinking it was someone with a gun who broke into the school. Instead she found herself faced with a giant monster. It was dark and shadowy with huge bloodthirsty eyes. That was really the clearest thing she remembered about that time, those evil eyes looking to devour her very soul. Serena stood there frozen, eyes locked with the monster, completely alone as everyone else ran out screaming. _Good-bye_, she thought.

"Give me your hand!" Someone behind her shouted. She whisked around to see a tall slender boy with dark hair and bright blue eyes extending his hand. She hesitated.

"Trust me," he said softly, encouraging. It looked like she had no choice. She clasped his hand and—

Nothing. Serena didn't remember anything that happened after that. She woke up in bed the next morning thinking it had all been a dream. Of course, reality came knocking, specifically in second period that next day when she was called into the principal's office.

She sat in the waiting room contemplating if she had done anything wrong or if she was getting an award (it was usually the latter). But when she was asked to step into the office she got a surprise of a different sort. The man who was sitting at the desk was not the principal, but an odd man with stitched clothing and a giant screw in his head.

"Have a seat," he said. Serena opened her mouth to ask where Mr. Miller, the principal, was, but he cut her off by saying, "I'm sure you're very confused right now. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dr. Franken Stein and I'm a teacher, and now apparently student recruiter, for the Death Weapon Meister Academy. This Academy teaches young people, like yourself, the necessary skills to fight with meisters and defend the world as you know it."

He paused to light a cigarette. He blew out the smoke and continued, "You are a weapon, which is a person who magically turns into a fighting mechanism to help defend the world and prevent the formation of Kishin, which is basically an evil soul like the one you saw yesterday. So in order to save to world you are transferring to the school."

"But I—" Serena started to say.

"It is also required by international law that you go. So pack your bags we'll see you on Monday!" He then ran out of the room. Serena just sat there, trying to grasp what he had just said.

Her parents were thrilled, thinking she was going to an extremely exclusive school, full scholarship. The DWMA had dropped off the plane ticket and a pamphlet called _So You Found Out You're Actually a Magical Weapon._ It was actually very helpful. It outlined the history of the DWMA and its rules and guidelines. A lot more helpful than Dr. Stein had been. Then she hopped on the plane with her suitcases and school backpack, the start of a long journey to her new life.

Serena then opened up her eyes again. The Sun was still too bright and she was still sweating profusely, but at least she had caught her breath. It took her a moment to realize that there was someone standing above her. She sat up quickly and looked at the figure.

"Hello. My name is Maka Albarn. Welcome to the Death Weapon Meister Academy."

**(A/N): Just so you know this is my first fanfiction, so any review would be extremely helpful! Also, those of you who have read this before may know that I recently changed a few things in the story, including the title (Yikes! I'm really fickle), in an attempt to make it more interesting, since the main plotline isn't introduced until later.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Not So Ordinary Girl**

_Previously that day…_

"Why are we being called to Death's office again?" Soul asked as he and Maka walked down the long winding corridor.

"Not sure," she murmured.

When they got there, Death was unusually calm, quite different from his normal erratic self.

"Maka, Soul," he started, "I have some important news to tell you."

"There's not another Kishin is there?" Soul asked, half-jokingly.

"No, nothing like that. There is a new student enrolled here, a weapon."

"It's not that unusual for middle of the term transfers," Maka pointed out.

"True," Death stated. "But this student is very special, and she has had a rather tough time these past few days."

"How so?" Soul asked.

"For starters, we had no idea she was a weapon until she was attacked. We have no how it happened, but there was an immense soul wavelength release. We pinpointed it to her and when we got there she was alone and unconscious lying on the ground. Only a Death Scythe could have that much power."

Soul gritted his teeth, "But how—"

"None of that matters," Death intervened, "I'm just glad we got to her in time."

"Why are you telling us all this?" Maka asked.

"Because I want you two to help her feel comfortable here and show her around." Death handed them a file. "This is all her information. She is a Junior like you, but is being put in Freshman classes for obvious reasons. Her name is Serena Johnstone from New York City. She'll be here any minute now and I want you two to go to the entrance to greet her."

Soul and Maka made their way through the hallways to the main entrance, fuming that they were put in the "student ambassador" role.

"She sounds like a stuck-up spoiled rich kid," Soul said reading Serena's file. "Ugh, a cheerleader too."

"Just your type too!" Maka snapped at him. Things had been tense with them the past few days, and Maka was finally letting her anger get the best of her.

Soul clenched his teeth and grabbed Maka's arm. "Is this about that one girl? Annabelle who I was talking to? I already told you there is nothing going on."

Maka turned around and glared at him, "Well, that's not what half the school is saying! Practically everyone is offering me condolences because you two are hooking up!"

"That's not true! I'm your boyfriend, you should trust me! Honestly, we're better off fighting as partners than fighting each other."

"Maybe that's the way it should be."

Soul just stared at her. "I'll see you at home. We'll talk about this later." He kissed her forehead and walked off, leaving Maka to cheerfully welcome the transfer student through her tears.

_Back in the present..._

Serena stared at the girl who was called Maka Albarn. She was a slender girl of average height with light brown hair in pigtails and pretty evergreen eyes.

"Um, hi," she said.

"Tough climb?" Maka asked.

"Hm," She grunted as she stood up.

"Well," Maka said cheerfully, "I'm here to show you around. The DWMA is a pretty big place and there's a lot to see."

Serena nodded as she dusted off her dark-washed skinny jeans and NYU shirt, wishing she had dressed nicer. However, she had a long flight. She quickly followed Maka into the dark ominous building. As they walked in silence, Serena knew she wasn't making a good impression. However, she was dead-tired from walking up all those stairs and still wasn't happy about the move. Maka also wasn't making any effort either; she just stared at the ground as they walked. Serena did notice her slightly swollen eyes and the pink nose, the telltale signs of a girl who was upset.

"Is there anything wrong?" Serena asked, trying to sound genuinely concerned, which she was.

Maka looked up, startled. She thought that Serena was just shy and quiet. "No, no, I'm fine." She added a smile for conviction. "I'm just going to show you around before we head to the headmaster's office."

The tour seemed to take hours. She saw the residence wing, which was co-ed by floor, the main dining hall, and many classrooms. Maka explained that in the mornings were the classes for academics, while afternoons were for training. Since Serena was transferring from one of the most academic schools, she would be taking advanced classes with Maka in the morning, while taking the freshman courses in the afternoon.

Serena was disappointed when she saw her schedule. Her best subjects were math and science, which she had taken far more advanced classes at her old school. Though it did make sense she supposed. Instead of becoming a doctor, her future career was fighting monsters, so why would she need Organic Chemistry anyway? Despite her cheerleader appearance, Serena was at the top of her class, earning herself enough credits to graduate already. Life was funny that way, her graduation being delayed by two years.

They continued to walk down the long corridor until they reached what Serena assumed was the principal's office. Through the doors stood someone dressed in entirely black. When he turned around, Serena saw that he had on a comical skeleton mask. Serena tried to suppress her alarm, but ended up screaming anyway.

"Wish I could say that was the first time someone's had that reaction," the man said, "but that would be a lie."

Serena was still gasping, trying to steady her heart rate. Damn parasympathetic system. "But wha-wha…"

"Allow me to introduce myself," the man said, pride untouched. "My name is Shinigami or in your language Death."

Serena's eyes grew so wide it looked like they were about to pop out of her head. "What do you mean you are Death? Like the Grim Reaper?"

"I have been called that."

Serena's mind tried to grasp the concept. How could Death lead a school if he just essentially kills people all the time? Serena then thought back to an old folktale that she heard as a child called Godfather Death. A man chose Death to be the godfather of his son because Death was fair, he didn't favor one over another. She didn't feel that alarmed anymore.

Death turned to Maka, "Where is Soul? Did something happen?"

"It's nothing. He just had something he had to do."

Serena piped, "Who's Soul?"

"His full name is Soul Eater Evans. He is my partner."

"Partner?"

"Allow me to explain," Death cut in. "Each student here partnered up with either a weapon or meister according to their strengths and weaknesses. You, my dear, are a weapon. Stein went over this, correct?"

Serena remembered the creepy man with the stitches and screw. "Yeah… Well, actually, no. Not at all."

"Very well. He's not very good with words when it comes to that sort of thing." He cleared his throat. "Weapons are people who are born with magic allowing them to transform into weapons that allow other people, meisters, to fight. Meisters are trained to uniquely fight with their partners. Take Maka and Soul: Maka is specifically trained in scythe technique, which is the weapon Soul is. They also must be much attuned to each other and work together."

"So basically all I have to do is find a partner to use me in a fight against monsters?"

"Generally speaking, yes. But it's a bit more complicated. The partners must be compatible or they'll end up hurting themselves more than the enemy."

"But that shouldn't be too hard," Serena said. "I mean I was able to defeat that one monster at my school with that random guy."

"Excuse me?" Death said. "What random guy?"

"The dark-haired boy who fought with me." Serena then gave a huge yawn. "'Scuse me. Long flight."

"Hm," Death pondered for a moment. "It was good meeting. I hope you will be very happy here. Go on ahead to your dorm. Maka will be with you in a moment."

Serena walked out the door, almost like she was in a trance to go to bed.

Death turned to Maka. "It seems we have new information. There is a rogue meister on the loose."

"What is a rogue meister?"

"It's a meister who has turned its back on the DWMA and uses its skills and abilities for their own desires. It's very unusual that we have not sensed Serena's power before now. I'm guessing it was sealed and the rogue knew about it was somehow able to unleash it."

"If he knew Serena is so powerful, why did he leave her?"

"The minute we figured out what was going on, I sent people over there. I'm guessing that he knew what was going to happen and did not want to get captured."

Death took a deep breath and sighed. "My job for you is to watch Serena. She seems to be oblivious about her power, but knowing the events up to now, she may be involved in a scheme by outside forces. Unlikely, but possible."

"How is she so powerful on her own?" Maka asked. "I mean, she's not like Justin and can fight on her own."

Death looked at Maka seriously. "She has a special type of power, almost completely unique. It's called Elemental Magic."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Special Type of Magic**

"Elemental Magic," Maka repeated, words dripping off her tongue.

"Yes, after we investigated the incident at her school, we learned that the body as well as the soul of whom she was fighting was reduced to ashes, almost untraceable."

"How?"

"She can use the soul wavelength of herself and her partner to unleash it in the form of elements of nature, like Pot of Fire and Pot of Thunder. Only Serena is a human, while they are Earth Shamans."

"So that's what made her attack so intense. But what meister would know that? They would have to obtain previous knowledge of that type of power."

"Correct. I think this her pocket that Maka had given her earlier and opened the door. To her surprise she saw who must be her roommate and a boy sitting on the floor, playing cards. A seemrogue we were discussing earlier completely knew what was happening when he went into that situation. Serena was found unconscious at the scene, so my guess is that he could not get a clean getaway with her."

"So do you think he'll come back for her?"

"Yes, but her loyalty will be with Shibusen by that point and he'll have to fight her, which will be impossible for him to win."

"Hm," Maka pondered for a moment. "What now?"

"As I said before: make her feel welcomed here."

_Meanwhile in the dorms..._

All of a sudden Serena found herself in front of what appeared to be her dorm room. She didn't remember how she got there. Must be the jet lag.

She dug out the key from ingly innocent act, only they were both completely naked. Serena shrieked. Both of them looked up confused by her reaction.

"Oh," her roommate said, "I didn't expect you. My name is Tracey and this is my partner Todd."

"And why aren't you wearing clothes?" Serena asked covering her eyes.

"It's a bonding experience," Tracey explained. "Lots of people do it here."

Playing strip poker or being a couple of horny teens would have made more sense.

Luckily a passerby took pity on Serena and talked to the two.

"Actually no one does that," the girl, whose name was Juanita, explained. "They're just a couple of weirdos." She then convinced them to put clothes on and consoled Serena after that traumatizing experience. Serena went into her room and saw all her stuff had been set up already.

Tracey said, "I like to keep everything in a particular way. As you can see everything has been color coordinated."

To Serena's horror, even her underwear drawer was in order. But right now all she wanted to do was sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

(A/N): So the other day I was chilling in Econ class, learning about GDP and NDP and all that other stuff, when I suddenly got the urge to right the next chapter. And I wrote it... Sometimes I just feel the need to share random parts of my life with everyone.

**Chapter 4: We need to talk…**

When Maka got back to her apartment later that night, Soul was listening to some very loud music, the kind she didn't like, in his room.

"Hey!"She screamed, and then she said the dreaded words in every couple's life. "We need to talk."

She heard a click and the deafening sound was reduced to silence. She rubbed her ears to try to stop the ringing. Soul came out of his room, leaned against the wall opposite of her, and looked at her expectantly.

"Why did you bail on me today?" Maka asked, trying to sound calm. "You can't still be upset about—"

"Well I am!" Soul shouted, clenching his fists. "Is that so wrong? It's like you have now faith in me."

"I'm sorry, but it's just not working out the way we planned. It'll never work. You saw what a relationship did to my mother and father."

"But this is us! We can get through anything together."

"Yeah, as meister-weapon partners. We work great that way."

"But I love you," Soul said, passion behind his eyes. Maka looked down, unable to hold his gaze. Soul's eyes widened with surprise, lips trembling. "But I thought that…"

"Anything you thought was a misunderstanding. The only reason we dated was to try to keep our partnership from getting to awkward." She still couldn't look at him; she was talking to the ground at this point. She was lying, but she didn't want things to end up like her parents with all the fighting and the cheating.

"Sure." Soul walked to the door. "I guess you didn't even care enough about me as a friend to tell me this." He opened the door. "You're right, just the partnership is better." He walked out, door closing behind him. Maka let the sound echo through the empty apartment, before crumbling to the ground in tears.

_The next day…_

Serena stood awkwardly on the front steps of the school, waiting for Maka, who said she would meet her there to walk her through her first day of school. Other students walked quickly past her, not wanting to be late. Serena looked down at her watch. Someone yelled something like "yahoo" right behind her. She whipped around, startled, and fell to the ground straight on her butt. Serena looked up at her perpetrator, a boy with spiky blue hair and lots of muscle. There was also a pretty girl with him. She had luminous brown eyes and long black hair.

"Sorry about that," he grinned, not embarrassed at all. "I thought you were someone else, my friend Maka."

"Looking for me?" Maka said, standing behind Serena. She still looked just as upset as yesterday, it not worse.

"Yeah! About the homework…"

" No time," she said dismissively. "We have to get to class." She turned to Serena, who had just gotten up from her terrible fall. "Serena, you're with my class in the morning for academics, but in the afternoon you're with the freshman NOT class."

"Huh?" Serena said, trying to keep up with Maka, both her conversation and walking pace.

"Didn't you read the pamphlet?" She said, irritated. She shook her head. "Anyway, we are in Dr. Stein's class. Though we are supposed to have a balance of different subjects, he likes to emphasize science."

"That's okay, I like science."

"Oh, you won't after this."

They arrived at a door that leads to a huge lecture hall. Serena sat next to Maka, mostly because she was the only person she met at Shibusen. Then right as she sat down, Stein came in, seated on a rolling chair. He looked at me and gave a creepy smile.

"Class," he said, "we have a new specimen today. Let's dissect it."

He grabbed onto Serena's arm and attempted to pull her out of her seat. Serena started screaming bloody murder, which was probably going to happen.

"Stein!" Maka shrieked. "Let go of her!"He was unresponsive. Maka then screamed "Maka Chop" and hit him on the head with a hefty textbook. "Run!" She yelled as he loosened his grip on Serena.

Serena didn't need her to say it twice, because she was already out the door and down the hall. She kept going through the maze of hallways. She looked behind her shoulder and ran right into someone else.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: The Start of Something New**

_Damn, that hurt_, Soul thought, rubbing his head. He looked up and saw Maka lying on the ground opposite of him. Getting up to help her, he yelled, "Maka!"

But it wasn't. It was a girl who looked like her, though. She had the same hair, only longer, and had similar facial features. The only thing that stood distinctly was that they had the same green eyes.

"I'm sorry! I was running away from a crazy person."

"Um, that's okay," he said awkwardly, not sure of what to do. _Who is this girl?_

"My name's Serena," She smiled. "I'm—"

"The new girl." _Of course. _"Yeah, I was kind of supposed to show you around yesterday. Only I got into a fight with my partner—"

"Maka? She seemed really pissed." She looked around her shoulder. "Again, my teacher is crazy and wants to dissect me."

"Come with me." Soul said. "I know a place he won't get you."

* * *

Serena found herself in the greenhouse on the roof with her new friend Soul.

"I love to come up here to skip class."

Serena wasn't sure what to think about him. He seemed like a rebel, but he was caring at the same time.

"So, you're partners with Maka," Serena inquired. "How did you become partners? I read the pamphlet and Lord Death tried to explain it to me, but the concept is still kind of fuzzy."

"Basically, your soul wavelengths have to match in order to fight together." Soul said, trying to dumb it down for her.

"Like soul mates?"

"Sort of, in a non-romantic way," he said, remembering the previous night.

"But you're still really close, right? As friends?"

"You could say that. I have to be willing to for her as a part of my duty as a weapon."

"But that doesn't seem fair. We are required by law to go to this school and are expected to sacrifice our lives for the people who voluntarily go here?"

They sat in silence for a moment. Soul looked over the city, pondering what she just said.

The air was tense. Serena didn't want to make someone who was so nice to her angry, so she decided to apologize.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I still can't grasp how this all works here."

"No, it's just that you have a good point." His voice cracked over the words. Maka and I aren't that compatible, and I don't think she even cares about me anymore." He shook his head, muttering under his breath. He looked up at her."Anyway, it's almost time for lunch. Care to join me?"

"It's not like I have options," Serena said, half-jokingly. They started walking toward the door when Soul stopped and said, "Serena?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad we met."

* * *

"So out of all the food in the cafe, you pick that tiny thing?" Soul asked teasing, as he dug into his array of different entrees.

"Hey! Don't be dissing the salad!" Serena said defensively. "It's healthy, and I have those PE classes after lunch."

"You're going to be hungry halfway through. They're still pretty intense, even if they're just freshman classes."

Serena made a face and continued eating. Soul was surprised how easy it was talking to her. All the stereotypes he made about her the day before were also proven wrong. She's actually nice and intelligent, not like those cheerleaders you see on TV. He thought he would hate her, but he found himself doing the exact opposite. He vaguely registered that Maka wasn't at lunch.

* * *

_Meanwhile Maka was in the Death Room…_

"Good news," Death said. "We may have found who was at Serena's school the day of the attack." He laid down a file. "Simon Nethers."

Maka remembered that Simon graduated a few years ago and became her mother's assistant in her research. He was a very skilled meister, compared to her mother and Stein. After he lost his weapon partner, he just disappeared, no one saw him again.

"He was recently spotted in New York. We had left him as dead after that fight a few years ago, but it seems he's back."

"But what does he want with Serena?"

"That's what we are trying to find out."

* * *

Soul was right. Halfway through her classes, she was famished. Today, the teacher decided to do all conditioning. Serena was used to activities like this, but it was still very intense. She was gasping for air after the first set.

After taking a quick shower, she walked out of the gym to see Soul wait for her. He saw the confused look on her face and explained, "Student Ambassador. I'm supposed to stalk you."

"And that makes it seem so much better." She clenched her grumbling stomach. "You were totally right, by the way. I'm starving."

"Lucky for you, I know a great little place a little ways down."

Serena raised her eyebrows. "Lead the way."

Soul and Serena stood gasping inside Soul's apartment, soaking wet.

"I would have checked my weather app before leaving, but service out her sucks," Serena said in between breaths.

"Luckily, we were close to here."

Serena looked down at her dirty clothes. The rain started in a downpour, so they scrambled to find some shelter. While doing this, Serena accidently fell into a mud puddle. Though funny at the time, Serena now felt bad for getting the floors dirty.

"Sorry about—"

"Don't worry about it," Soul said, cutting her off. "How about you get cleaned up, and I will make us dinner from a super secret recipe of mine."

"Hmm, super secret? I bet it's a casserole."

Soul laughed at her, while he showed her to the bathroom. It was very simple, but cute at the same time. Serena admired the embroidered towels as she picked up one that said SE on it.

Serena tried to make her shower snappy in order to not run up the utility. Her hand lingered by the handle, feeling the nice warm water cascading down her back.

**(A/N): I feel that all important characters should have a shower scene. It's like basic rules of anime. Most of the main characters have already had one in the series, even Death the Kid (though his clothes were still on).**

She got out and dried herself off before realizing her predicament: she had no other clothes. She could always put her muddy ones back on, but that defeated the purpose of the shower in the first place. She could ask to borrow some clothes, which was more than a little shameful. But she would ask any of her other friends and even her ex-boyfriend Brad. So she wrapped the towel around her and opened the door.

Meanwhile Soul was making a casserole. Blair was continuing to perpetually pester him.

"So looking to get lucky tonight?"

"That is so not cool," Soul replied. "I just met her, and I just broke up with Maka."

"Oh, it's not like you two ever did the deed anyway. It was just all that sappy stuff."

"Yeah, a relationship."

"So you're saying you never wanted to get horizontal with the girl?"

"Sure, but there's something called respect."

Blair quickly transformed into a cat and said, "Lucky for you, this girl is much more slutty."

"Huh?"

"She's walking this way in a towel."

"I'm sorry," Serena said behind him. "But could I borrow some clothes?"

Soul stared at Serena, who was well endowed and tried to control his hormones. He stuttered as he went to his room. He came back with a baggy shirt and basketball shorts. Serena flushed in humiliation as she headed to change.

* * *

All Simon could think about was how he just left the girl back in New York unconscious and defenseless. He clenched his teeth as he listened to the boss Antares rant on about the job he just botched. They needed to come up with new plans to abduct the girl. Simon knew she would be safe at Shibusen for now, but he had to come up with a new plan fast before Antares' group, the Celestial Code, succeeded. He took careful notes of the new plan while making one of his own. He promised that the Celestial Code would not get their hands on Serena and he planned to keep it. What better way to save her than to be a part of the enemy?

* * *

**(A/N): I am so sorry, this chapter was just all over the place. I thought about breaking it up into smaller chapters, but they would have been kind of awkward. On the bright side, some of the main plot points are finally introduced! So sorry about the slow start, but it's all up from here!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: One Day, One Night, One Moment**

After the humiliating situation Soul and Serena just went through, they actually had a decent dinner with some light conversation. Then when they meandered to the couch, the conversation got deeper.

Just for fun, Serena asked, "What was the best day of your life?"

"Easy," Soul replied, "When I found out I was a weapon."

"Really? That was the worst day of my life for me."

"My circumstances were a bit different. I hated the life I was living and jumped at the chance to get away from it all."

"It was really that bad."

"Not in the way you're probably thinking. I wasn't abused or anything. My older brother was a talented musician and everyone held me up to the same standards. After awhile I just couldn't take it anymore." Soul didn't know why he was telling her all this.

"I'm sorry. I'm glad I had a good relationship with my family then. Even though I was adopted, I always felt really close to them. I really miss them." Serena barely got out the last words before the tears started. Soul put a hand on her shoulder.

"I know it seems silly," she said, wiping the tears, "but I know it has to be done. One of my favorite sayings is 'you can't see the reason why things happen when it happens. Only looking back will you see how all those things are connected.'"

"So basically sit back and let fate take over."

"No, follow your heart and that will lead you to your fate." Soul felt something deep down in his very soul stir as she said those words. He looked into her eyes and felt connected to her, as if he were being pulled by gravity. His hands lightly touched her face and he started closing the space between them. Every so slowly their lips met. And in that moment everything changed.

**(A/N): REAL short chapter, I know. Usually I write a little during class and then when I get home from school. But today I just had so much stuff to do and then I had to go to this dinner party that lasted hours. Anyway, ten points to whoever knows the song that contains the lyrics that are the title of the chapter! It's not very popular, but it's one of my favorites.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Girl on Fire**

_God, what is wrong with me?_ Serena asked herself as she stared at the ceiling. She was in her dorm and luckily Tracey was not there so Serena could finally get some peace and quiet. Soul had been so nice to her and she had messed it all up. She replayed the scene in her mind over and over. They had kissed, which was okay, but when it turned more passionate and clothes started coming off, she freaked out. All she could remember was her relationship with her last and only boyfriend Brad. Jenny, her best friend, set them up and it was going really well. They did all the typical couple stuff: holding hands in the park, cuddling on the couch during a movie, even sharing a plate of nachos when they went out one night. However, it all turned for the worse when Brad got a little too handsy. He pressured her into doing things sexually that she didn't want to do, and when she resisted, she saw the hate in his eyes, the tone of his voice, and the way he gripped her too hard, leaving bruises. She found herself resisting less and less after that, mostly out of guilt and thinking that a girlfriend should do that. She tried to talk to Jenny, but Jenny denied it, saying that is just how boys are. Serena finally cut all ties when he hit her. She made a huge scene because she was so angry. Some directed at him, but mostly at herself. She was a fool for making herself believe that doing stuff was her duty as a girlfriend. She never even loved him.

Now she thought back at her time with Soul. He seemed genuinely concerned when she ran out of the apartment. He was a nice guy and she didn't want to mess it up. He might understand if she explained herself, but she didn't want him to know that part of her past yet. While contemplating her next move, she fell asleep.

* * *

The next day, Serena found that she didn't have to do anything because Soul wasn't at school. She sat next to Maka, who was much friendlier, and Serena tried not to look guilty. Stein didn't once look at her, which was a relief. The rest of the day went by uneventful until her afternoon classes. Sid wanted them to partner up and practice their weapon skills. Of course, Serena did not have a partner, but more importantly had only turned into a weapon once. Sid partnered her with a quiet girl named Alice and walked her through the transformation. She had to remember what it felt like the first time. She had been scared out of her mind, but she remembered seeing the boy and how much faith she had put in him. She felt something stir in her soul and she lost feeling of her body.

"Excellent!" Sid said. "Now Alice—"

Actually, Alice had been doing fine. Serena had turned into a huge sword and Alice was holding her up fine, so they were somewhat compatible. But something had gone wrong, Serena felt their souls connect and a power surge between them. Then they were on fire.

The next thing Serena knew was that she was in the infirmary. Stein was sitting in a chair next to her bed.

"Good. You're up," he said. Serena startled and Stein continued, "Don't worry I didn't dissect you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Thanks," she responded. "Where's Alice, my partner for class?"

"A little shaken, but completely fine. She is in way better shape than you are."

"That's good. But what exactly happened?"

"It looked like you tried soul resonance when you shouldn't have. That caused your soul wavelength to surge and was released in the form of flames, your energy medium."

"Does it happen a lot?"

"It happens every once in a while, but nowhere near that extreme."

"Huh." Serena looked out the window. "How long have I been here?"

"Couple hours. Sid called me down about halfway through class."

"Have you been here the entire time?"

Stein nodded. He moved closer so he was looking Serena directly in the eye. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Serena was shocked at how genuine he sounded. Then he blew cigarette smoke in her face.

"Ew!" She exclaimed, coughing. "Don't poison _my_ lungs!"

Stein laughed. "I thought you might react that way." Then he walked out of the room, still laughing.

Serena grunted and flopped back down on her bed.

**(A/N): So instead of doing math homework or writing an english essay, I decide to write the next chapter. I have great priorities :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Into the Dungeon**

The next few days went by in a blur. Everyone avoided Serena like she was the plague. During partner activities in class no one wanted to pair with her. She sat in the corner, watching everyone else. She hadn't seen Soul or Maka for a few days. Someone explained to her that they were away on an extracurricular activity. She didn't really have a lot of friends, especially since she scared the entire NOT class off with the whole setting Alice on fire thing. Until one day a boy named Michael came up to her.

"How's it going?" he said, sitting down next to her.

"Just sitting here like always," She said.

"Yeah, I've noticed you."

"Oh, really," she raised her eyebrows. "So today you just got the overwhelming urge to come and talk to me?"

"You could say that. But really my usual partner is just sick today and wondered if you wanted to pair with me for the day."

"Aren't you afraid you'll get hurt?"

"Naw, I like to live on the edge. Plus, I would never pass up a chance to spend time with a pretty girl."

Typical. But Michael was cute in a goofball kind of way. Messy brown hair with crinkly t-shirts. She decided to humor him, mostly because she didn't want to sit in the corner for the rest of her time at the school.

"Let's do it."

She focused all her energy and thought about transforming. It seemed that she needed to think about trust in order for that to happen. She felt the shift into her weapon form. However, nothing happened after that. Serena felt relieved.

"Cool," he said. "But you're damn heavy."

"Sorry." She felt really embarrassed, not sure why. Her weapon form was huge, so obviously she would be heavy.

Sid came over to supervise them and talk them through some exercises. They were really simple, but hard at the same time. Michael was used to using a foil, but Serena's form was very different from that. The techniques and the whole fighting style changed for him. At the end of class, he was panting. She undid her transformation and said, "Sorry, I'm not really used to working with anyone. Is there something I'm doing wrong?"

"No, this is all on me. You don't really do anything until we connect with our souls."

"Huh?"

But before he explained Sid said that Stein wanted to see them after class.

"Well, Serena," Stein said, "seems like you found a partner who doesn't scare easily."

Serena started, "Well, you see he already has a partner."

"Irrelevant. We are trying to upgrade you into the EAT class and you need a partner."

"Cool," Michael said. "I've been trying to get into that class forever."

"You're really not that important." Michael ducked his head in embarrassment. "But we need you to practice using Serena so we know you're the right match."

They walked outside and onto the practice field.

"Serena, I made this device for you to wear on your head. It prevents you from soul resonance, so you don't have to worry about setting everything on fire."

"Thanks," she said as she took the golden ring. She placed it lightly on her head, hippie-headband-style. She took a deep breath and transformed.

"Now," Stein said, "focus all your energy on that practice dummy over there."

Serena concentrated and Michael swung. Flames came jutting out the end, charring the shoulder of the dummy. Michael was excited after that, but Serena felt dizzy.

Stein said, "Michael, think about using your energy. The flames are a manifestation of your soul wavelength, similar to Kid's bullets. Only Serena's wavelength is being used. You need to work together."

They both concentrated some more and Michael swung again.

"Are you trying to kill her?" Stein shouted because Serena's transformation ceased and was lying on the ground. He ran over to her. "Are you alright?"

"Just dizzy."

Then he scooped her up in his arms and started walking.

"Put me down," Serena pleaded in her weak voice.

"I'm so sorry," Michael said, following them.

"Shut it," Stein said. "You're bothering her."

"This is really unnecessary."

"You need to rest," he said. "Almost all your energy is gone."

After walking awhile after Michael left, Serena said, "Where are we? This isn't the way to the nurse's office."

"We are not going there." He opened up a door. It was a tiny room that looked like a jail cell. He set her on the bed. Then he walked out the door locking it behind him.

With a sudden burst in energy, Serena went to the door, which had a barred window, and screamed out it, "Stein! You can't leave me in here!"

"Trust me, it's for your own good." He started walking up the stairs.

"Stein! Wait! Come back!" Her screaming was futile. He was already gone.

**(A/N): Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I've been in a crisis the past few days. I had a huge calc exam to study for and I got a notice that my prom dress couldn't be delivered and prom is a week away! I had to go and get a new :( So from a story standpoint, this chapter really wasn't that significant other than the fact that somehow Serena attracts every guy within a ten mile radius but totally sucks as a weapon partner and the fact that Stein's completely crazy! But I think we all kind of already knew that.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Let's Go to LA!**

"So Stein locked you in a room in the dungeon?" Soul asked, taking a bite of his sandwich. They were sitting at a small table during lunch with Maka and Soul on one side and Serena across from them.

"Yeah, it was pretty scary. It was hours before someone found me. My throat hurts from screaming so much."

"But are you okay?" Maka asked. "You did pass out beforehand."

Serena nodded. "Michael and I have been practicing a lot and Sid said we could go on our first mission. We just need an older group to supervise."

Maka said, "We were actually asked to supervise you."She dug through her bag and pulled out a file. "I thought we could do this one."

Serena looked at the file and exclaimed, "I've always wanted to go to Los Angeles!"

"Same with me. Our bus leaves at eight tomorrow morning. We'll be staying there for two days so bring a change of clothes."

"Fun."

"I need to report back to Lord Death," Maka said, picking up her tray. "But I'll see you later." She walked away.

Soul turned to Serena and said, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm a little nervous, but we have to at some point and everyone else has already done it so it's not that big of a deal."

"I just have a bad feeling about this."

"It's an easy mission. You'll be there and you're a Death Scythe."

"But what if something goes wrong that I can't help you with? A lot could go wrong." Soul sighed and tried to explain, "Serena, look, you're a very powerful weapon, but unstable. You don't know how to control your weapon form properly yet. Michael might not be the best fit either."

"But he's the only one who is not afraid of me."

"It is better to just not have a partner, then to pair up with someone for the wrong reasons."

"It'll be fine. I finally feel that things are going to get better for me. Even if we might not work, I have to try."

Soul clenched his teeth and said in frustration, "You're still not getting it."

Serena just looked at him with a sad look in her evergreen eyes. He immediately regretted that. He hated the look of despair on her face. He got up and said, "Just forget about it. I'll see you tomorrow morning.

* * *

Serena was giddy with excitement as she waited for the bus at the bottom of Shibusen's steps. She was the first one there and sat on the curb next to her pink VS duffel bag. She waved when she saw Michael arriving with only a black backpack.

"Hey," she said as he plopped down next to her. "You ready to rock this?"

He tosseled his already messy brown hair. He wore a simple black shirt and jeans.

"Hell yeah."

Then Maka and Soul came and stood behind them. They all said the usual greetings. Then the bus pulled up. They got on the almost full bus. Maka and Soul looked at each other. They had avoided talking about their break-up and things had gone back to normal since they were both in denial. Things would not go well if they both sat together on a long bus ride. Maka said, "Why don't I sit with Michael and prep him for the mission since we are both meisters?"

"Sounds good to me," Soul replied, relieved. Maka and Michael took the seat in the front, while Soul and Serena went to the last open seat in the middle.

As they got settled Soul said, "You look really nice tonight."

"Oh, thanks." Serena looked down at her outfit. It was a simple blue sundress with sandals. It was typical in Manhattan, but she only wore her uniform, consisting of a blazer over a blouse and a plaid skirt, at Shibusen so any sort of change into her old life would be drastic. She even sort of did her hair. She normally wore her long hair in a ponytail, but today she wore it wavy and loose.

"How long is the bus ride?"

"About six hours."

"Ick."

**(A/N): I originally had them fly into LA, but considering California and Nevada are right next to each other, it would be a short flight. I had to use a long ride for plot points. Although I could have picked another place, I found out I'm going to Los Angeles and am really excited so I wanted to use it :)**

For a few minutes into the ride things were really awkward. They both wanted to talk about the kiss, but no one wanted to bring it up.

"You know, my brother is going to be in LA while we are there. He's playing a gig with his band."

"Really?" Soul said. "What kind of music?"

"Punk-rock."

"Oh, I mostly listen to jazz."

"I didn't take you as a jazzy person."

"Well, I am." He took out his iPod and headphones. "Want to listen?"

"Why not?" Serena took an ear bud and stuck it in one ear while Soul put the other one in his. They listen to a few songs before Soul asks her what she thinks.

"I guess I'm not a music person. The only songs I listen to are the ones on the CDs from my brother's band."

"Hm." Soul pondered this for a moment.

"I'm sorry did I offend you?"

"No. It's just you and Maka are a lot alike. You look alike and you both don't like music."

"Coincidence, I guess."

"Yeah, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were related, since you were adopted and never met your birth parents."

"It's just never been important before. But I guess there's a good chance I am related to her. Did her parents have any siblings?"

"No, that's the weird thing. Maka told me that since her grandmother died there's no one else in her family, not even extended."

"So what are you getting at? I think it's agreed that I'm not related to her."

"No, you don't see it, but your appearance is so similar to hers it's uncanny."

"Coincidence."

"No," Soul rubbed his head. "God, I can't believe I'm going to say this. I've been wondering about this for awhile. I think you might be her sister."

"What! But, how?"

"I don't know! Maybe her parents had another kid. When were you born?"

"April 1st. I mean, I don't really know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I don't have a birth certificate. My birthday is the day my parents officially adopted me."

"Well, Maka was born in December so it could work."

"Not likely though. Why would they give me up and not her?"

"Complication of some sorts?"

"It just kind of hurts to think about it. She wasn't even born a year later/" Serena's voice cracked as she said those words.

"Look, just forget I said anything."

Serena just looked at her hands in her lap. She sighed, "I'm still kind of tired."

She put her head on his shoulder, surprising both of them to some degree. She said, "It's nice to have a friend who cares about me."

He hesitantly lifted his hand. Maka was all the way in the front, so he decided to stroke Serena's head, trying to comfort her after his semi-harsh reality check. "Same here."

**(A/N): Woah, so much drama on this little trip. Don't forget it's overnight, so get ready for some more! Also, I having some computer troubles. The letter "f" on the keyboard is not working to well, so if any f's are missing, I'm really sorry. I just wish there were some f's missing from my grades ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: A Soul's True Identity**

They went to the Hollywood sign when they got to LA to look for the Kishin egg.

"Wow, look at that," Serena said, gazing at the huge sign.

"We have work to do," Maka said as Serena took out her camera. She lowered it and smiled guiltily.

"How do we find it?"

"Soul perception, of course," Michael said. "Every meister has it."

"Oh."

"What do you see, Michael?" Maka coached him. "Look for an evil soul."

"Well, all I see are Hollywood sleazebags, but that's not exactly evil." Maka glared at him.

"What's that?" Serena pointed to something in the road. There enough was the Kishin egg, faint because it was weak but there.

"Amazing soul perception," Maka said. "Almost as good as mine."

Soul gave her a look. Was she really Maka's sister? As the day went on there were more and more similarities. Both liked the same food and they both swooned over the same guy that walked past them. Well, he was very attractive, but still was it still all coincidence at this point?

"How does one really get soul perception?" She asked. "What really determines if one has the skill?"

"I got mine from my mother," Maka replied.

"What about your father."

"I have no father."

"Eh?"

"I just don't consider him such since he's a total douche. My mom deserves way better. I don't know why she picked him."

"Did she have someone else then?" Serena asked, trying to be discrete.

"I think she dated Stein before my father." OH GOD! Serena was panicked. There was no way in hell that Stein could possibly be her father. He was crazy. The man locked her in the dungeon!

"Are you okay?"

"P-p-perfectly fine," she stammered. No. it was just her nerves talking. "Let's get this guy." She transformed into a weapon. With her, Michael stormed at the Kishin egg.

"Aggressive," Soul commented.

Michael slashed at the Kishin egg, ripping it in half.

"But effective," he said.

"Hey!" Michael shouted. "We did it." They ran back up and Serena undid her transformation.

"What now?" She asked.

"I guess we can go and sight-see or something," Maka said.

Just then someone popped up behind them. They grabbed Maka's arm and attempted to drag her away. "Hey!" she shouted. Soul immediately transformed his arm into a blade and slashed at the figure. It rippled and disintegrated. "What the—"

"Serena!" Michael called. "She's gone."

* * *

"Let go!" Serena said to the guy in the hoodie.

"Listen! You have to trust me." She whipped around and she saw bright blue eyes. The same ones that saved her that day. She did trust him, but had no idea why.

"My name's Simon. I was ordered by my superior to watch over you. I currently infiltrated the Celestial Code to gain information. Shibusen is not safe for you anymore. The Celestial Code will do anything to get their hands on you and it's very dangerous for you to be here right now."

"Why do they want me?"

"I'm going to be completely honest with you right now: they want to experiment on you."

"What!"

"There's no time to explain. Your friends are here."

"But Simon—"

"Don't say anything. I promise I'll see you again soon."

* * *

"Hey," Soul said to Serena. She hadn't said a word in the past few days. He assumed it was post traumatic stress from her kidnapping. "Are you going to the Founder's Eve Ball?"

"It's required."

"Do you want to come with my group? We do it every year."

"I wouldn't want to third wheel." She walked away. The Ball was tonight, but she couldn't care less. She was wearing what she wore to prom, so she didn't have to worry about her outfit. She couldn't stop thinking about the events over the trip. Was she really Maka's sister? Why did the Celestial Code want her? She thought about it for the rest of the day and into the evening.

* * *

At the Ball, Serena stood talking to a girl from her class, trying to act like nothing was wrong. No one wanted a downer at a party and Serena decided to throw her worries away in the probably already spiked punch. Actually, with all the giggling she was doing, she knew it was spiked.

Soul caught up to her and said, "We're talking."

"On the dance floor," Serena said, leading him in that direction.

While awkwardly dancing, Serena said, "Everything's fine. You're worrying for nothing."

Then another song came on. It was "their song." It was "In Your Eyes."

Soul tried to ignore it, but couldn't help but thinking of how Maka and he danced last year to this song. He looked into Serena's eyes and saw Maka's. Maka didn't show it, but he knew she was hurt by his friendship with Serena. He looked in Maka's across the room. By just one look, he knew she remembered their song, too. He looked back to Serena when the chorus started and he realized something. Their eyes weren't the same. The light behind their eyes was different. Serena was haunted by her unknown past and she had the look of lost in her eyes. He had so wanted to help her because Maka had the same look when they met and he had made it go away. He had been hurt by Maka and wanted something to fill the emptiness that her eyes had burned into his soul with one look. But they weren't the same person.

"I'm sorry," he said and left Serena alone in the crowd of dancing people. He walked over to Maka and they both said, "I'm sorry."

They danced to their song. "I saw her soul when we first met," Maka said. "You knew she was lost like I was."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry for hurting you. I was just so afraid of my mother and father's relationship that I let it get in the way of ours. I lied when I said I didn't love you."

"I know that now." He looked into her eyes. They kissed as the song ended.

Across the room, Serena screamed,"No! That's impossible!" She slapped Stein right in the face before running away.

**(A/N): Yay! They're back together again! And thus the love triangle truly emerges. I wrote this chapter awhile back when I was listening to "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel. I was just coming up with the concept of the story. I pictured Soul dancing with Serena and looking into her eyes and seeing Maka. Which is really romantic and went perfectly with the song! So sorry if it doesn't completely line up with the plot beforehand. If you haven't already guessed, I got the concept of this fanfic from the relationship of the characters in the book Never Let Me Go. It's a really good book and you should read it if you haven't already. Or you could watch the movie that has the very attractive Andrew Garfield as the male lead.**


	11. Chapter 11

Serena stood alone in the middle of the dance floor as she watched Soul go over to Maka. She was about to go to the bathroom to cry about this embarrassing situation, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She whipped around to see Stein, very drunk with the drink in his hand splashing everywhere.

"May I have this dance?" He asked, only slightly slurring his words. So not that drunk?

Serena hesitated when taking his hand, but he grabbed her a spun her into his arms. They danced with Stein's oddly excellent rhythm. It felt familiar to Serena, the situation. She studied her possible father's face for clues, something that would answer the questions of her past.

"Do you remember the last time we danced?" he queried.

Serena shook her head. As far as she knew she had never danced with him before.

"It was on this night several years ago. You haven't changed a bit, Kami."

"I think you're confused. I'm Serena."

"No," Stein said with a seriousness. "You are her. You exactly the same."

"You're wrong," Serena said, exasperated. This was getting her nowhere. She decided to just say the inevitable. "She's my mother, isn't she?"

"No, you are her. You are her clone."

Serena stopped. She stopped dancing, breathing, even her heart seemed to stop. She didn't know how to react to this. She was so upset and angry. She felt despair welling up from inside, frothing like water boiled for too long. She screamed, "No! That's impossible!" She then smacked him and ran out of the room.

She kept running. She ran even though she couldn't breath, when every muscle ached and screamed for her to stop. She kept going through the crowd of people's stares, their hushed stopped when she tripped over a crack and crumpled to the ground, her back heaving with sobs. Eventually, Stein, Soul, and Maka caught up with her.

"Go away!" Serena screamed, rasping since the running sucked the wind out of her.

"We are here to help," Maka said, soothingly as she knelt done next Serena. "Just tell us what happened."

"Ask him!" Serena pointed accusingly to Stein.

"I know you must hate him from all those years of neglect," Soul said, assuming his suspicions were correct. "But he is still your father."

"What?" Maka and Stein said at the same time.

"Um, Maka, your mother and Stein used to date and, um, you know..." Soul said, trying to find the words to describe childbirth.

Luckily, Stein got his point. "No, no. I am not Serena's father, nor is Kami her mother. Serena is Kami's clone."

Maka and Soul's jaws both dropped to the ground.

"My mother would never do something like that!" Maka said.

"She didn't. I did it all myself. Let me explain."

**A/N: It has been quite awhile since the last chapter. I had a lot of testing going on and then I had a computer problem. But it's summer now and everything's all fine and dandy. The next chapter is going to be entirely in flashback, ****describing Stein and Kami's past. Yes, I know that Kami is not Maka's mother's real name and it was a mistranslation or something like that. But it's easier to use a name and everyone's familiar with that one, so I just went with it.**


End file.
